


Busan

by aryaautarky



Category: iKON (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Slice of Life, au: jinhwan’s just one year older than junhoe here, junhoe's in his head a lot, set in the early 2000s-basically no phones, teenage angst, tw: some homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2020-01-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:41:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21805360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aryaautarky/pseuds/aryaautarky
Summary: AU: Junhoe's jaded. Jinhwan's... beautiful.
Relationships: Goo Junhoe/Kim Jinhwan
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30





	1. 1

Junhoe was fucking tired. Not physically- no, that would've been all too easy. He was mentally and spiritually (if he was feeling melodramatic enough to use that word) exhausted.

He was born and raised in Busan, and had always lead a comfortable life. They lived close to the port, his father being the captain of one of the largest container ships to ever dock in Korea. It meant that he wasn't around much, but it also meant that there was never reason to go without. If Junhoe was being honest, he preferred it this way.

Junhoe’s father, incidentally, was the reason he'd met his friends. He, Yunhyeong and Donghyuk’s fathers all worked for the same shipping company, and had spent many afternoons running along the decks of large cruise and container ships when they were younger. Presently, he spent most of his time in their company.

Junhoe lead a comfortable life. So why did he always feel so… _meh?_ He felt as if his entire existence had become predictable. Entirely routine and mind-numbing. So much so that sometimes he even welcomed the spots of chaos that his father would bring to their household on his biannual visits.

There were times when Junhoe wondered if he was being exaggerating this whole thing because he was just... well, bored. Like now, when he was seated on his rock, in the forest behind his school. He liked to think of it as his _spot_. It was a ten-minute walk from the edge of the school grounds and fairly secluded. The large rock was located in a small clearing, leaving room for lots of little rays of sunlight to shine through. A couple of weasels scuttled about not far from him.

Junhoe frowned. Were animals really as stupid as they were made out to be? Were they really happy with humans being at the top of the food and intellectual chain? Perhaps they weren’t, but realised that there was nothing that they could do break away from the hierarchy. Maybe they had annual conferences to discuss new solutions.

His brows furrowed some more. Surely, if a bunch of carnivores were to decide that they’d taken enough shit from humans, his species would probably be toast. But that was the thing, wasn’t it? Animals didn’t want to take over the world. They just wanted to live their _damn lives._ Though if any of them were looking to seek advice on what being a human was like, Junhoe would be the first one to tell them that the grass wasn’t much greener.

_I mean here I am, sitting on a rock in the middle of the forest, hypothesizing animal conventions._

It was getting late. He needed to go to class.

Junhoe got to the main school building with a few minutes to spare, waving hello to his friends. They walked past Byungchul together, who seemed to have taken it upon himself to be the school’s archetypical bully since they were in middle school. The tall boy was currently trying to intimidate a junior into giving him his lunch money.

School had never been a problem for Junhoe, academically at least. He was an above-average student and regularly placed within the top ten in his class. He briefly wondered if his life would be less dull if he had to work harder at his studies, but quickly dismissed the thought. He’d seen firsthand how stressed and upset algebra made Yunhyeong. Sad _and_ bored did not sound like a good combination to him.

He sighed out loud as he took his seat in homeroom, earning a questioning look from Donghyuk. He shook his head in response to say that nothing was wrong. And nothing _was_ wrong. It was just another dreary day in this boring old life, in this dated old school, in this mind-numbing class-

“Good morning, everyone. We have a new student from Seoul today.”

 _Or maybe not_.

Junhoe looked up to find another boy standing next to his teacher; he knew to identify the other as a male given that they were wearing the same uniform, or else he’d have probably been mistaken. The new kid was skinny, petite and had some of the most delicate features he’d ever seen. Hesitant eyes swept over the class, while a pouty lower lip was being worried between pearly white teeth. Their eyes met for a second and Junhoe found it difficult to breathe _._ _His eyes were light brown._

Whispers had already broken out in class.

‘ _Seoul_?’ he heard from his peers. ‘ _Do you think he’s rich? A snob? What brought him **here**?’_

“He’ll be joining us, starting today.” Their teacher spoke again, sounding incredibly bored. “Please introduce yourself.”

“Hello everyone, my name’s Kim Jinhwan.” The new kid said softly, in a slightly nasal voice. He followed his introduction with a low bow. _So far so good_. “It’s nice to meet all of you. Please take care of me.”

But alas, Jinhwan’s above-average first impression wasn’t enough to stop him from getting bullied during recess. From the corner of his eye, Junhoe caught Byungchul and his gang of neanderthals launch into their usual routine of intimidation once they’d cornered him in some crook of the cafeteria.

Junhoe and his friends didn’t bat an eye. They walked right past.

Their clique sat in the upper-middle of the deep-rooted social hierarchy that governed the school. They weren’t the type to bully others, but they weren’t on the receiving end of such behavior either, as long as they stayed out of the Byungchul and his gang’s way. If he were being honest, he felt like economic standing had a lot to do with it.

Still, he felt sorry for the new guy. Jinhwan looked scared. And rightfully so- he was _different_. Junhoe knew how things worked at his school. Different wasn't good. Different got your lunch stolen and possibly a few bruises. His dialect was different, heard in the way he read out passages earlier in literature class. It also didn't help that he didn't play into the typical cold, uppity Seoul teenager trope that was expected of him- somehow it served to make matters worse; he wasn’t boisterous and/or warm either. Jinhwan was a different kettle of fish- Junhoe could see that just by looking at him. And _god_ , was he pretty. _You know, for a guy._

When Junhoe reached the rock after school that day, he almost tripped over his feet. Sitting there, perched daintily, was the new kid.

They stared at each other for a moment before Jinhwan hopped off, having understood that this spot had already been claimed. It also seemed like he didn’t want any more trouble today, and Junhoe admitted that he looked every part the typical schoolyard aggressor.

“Wait!” He called quickly.

The older boy turned around slowly, looking apprehensive.

“It’s a pretty nice spot. We can… um, share it. If you want.”

Jinhwan smiled.

Junhoe got home a little later than usual that day. He took his jacket and woolen beanie off in the hallway before padding into the kitchen. His mother was smoking at the counter, flipping through some tabloids. There had always been an air of perpetual annoyance about her; the sun could be shining, world peace could be achieved, a cure for cancer could be found… their family could become millionaires overnight, but Mrs. Koo would _still_ find something to nitpick. Though Junhoe knew this wasn’t as nearly irate as she got when his father was back home, so he supposed he was grateful. 

“June… a new boy joined your class today, didn’t he?”

Mrs. Koo never spoke unless necessary. There was always some type of ulterior motive hiding behind every sentence. Her son raised a brow while helping himself to a persimmon.

“Uh, yeah. Kim Jinhwan. How’d you know?”

She looked up from her magazine.

“You’re not to associate with him. Do you understand?”

“What? Why?”

Mrs. Koo went back to flipping through the tabloid, as if she’d never heard him. Junhoe rolled his eyes and bit into the sweet, fleshy fruit.


	2. 2

Junhoe had been worried that he’d regret his decision to let the new guy share the rock (especially after his mother’s ominous warning), but had so far been pleasantly surprised. Over the month that followed, the two got pretty close. _Close_ in the sense that they had an unspoken understanding. Just a few polite ‘ _how are you?_ ’s and they’d descend into their comfortable mutual silence, free to just be, without any interruptions.

Junhoe liked it. It was all the perks of being alone, while actually being in someone’s company. He wasn’t sure if Jinhwan’s mere presence really counted as company, but he decided it wasn’t important.

The older boy was quiet by nature. Intuitive too, Junhoe could tell. Not once had he tried to initiate contact, at the rock or in school. And the younger boy was incredibly grateful- he needed this time alone; away from his mother, friends, and school. Jinhwan seemed to get that. He understood.

Though despite growing quite fond of their quiet camaraderie, if truth be told, Junhoe was also growing increasingly curious about the other. They had sat on this rock together for ages almost everyday for around a month, yet he still didn’t know the first thing about Jinhwan.

Today, though, Junhoe decided that would change. He’d resolved during History period to make conversation with the Seoul boy after finding it ridiculous that Jinhwan occupied such a large space in his head, yet with little substance other than his physicality. Jinhwan intrigued him, for reasons that he just could not put his finger on yet.

Most days, Junhoe found that Jinhwan got to their spot before him- like today. Though God knew how, because he was pretty sure he had the longer pair of legs.

Jinhwan was presently perched on the rock, pensively staring out into the greenery as per usual. His pink lips, perpetually curved downwards in just the slightest pout, stretched into the faintest of smiles as he nodded at the younger’s arrival. Junhoe tried to imagine this aggressively passive boy in big, bustling Seoul. At least where Junhoe was concerned, he was pretty sure the older would fit right in. He looked like a budding idol-type, for one. He was sure he could picture a outwardly happier, more boisterous version of Jinhwan surrounded by a plethora of friends. _Why had he moved?_

"Don't you miss it?" Junhoe blurted out. "Home?"

Jinhwan looked taken aback at the sudden query and the younger cringed, cursing his impulsive mouth. _What kind of a first question-_

"No." The older boy answered quietly, quickly. He didn’t elaborate.

Suddenly, everything felt a little too heavy for Junhoe. The weight behind Jinhwan’s words (or word, rather); behind what he didn’t say. The descendent curve of those lips. Junhoe welcomed it all, the depth of the unspoken conversation they seemed to be having.

“Do you think you could call Busan your home?”

Jinhwan side-eyed him.

And suddenly, they were laughing. The taller boy started and Jinhwan joined in somewhere down the line; full-bodied shrieks that made their bodies convulse.

“I’m sorry, I was just imagining you trying to bargain at the markets.” Junhoe wiped a tear from his face, still chuckling. “God, you’d get eaten alive.”

Jinhwan tried to look offended but failed, bright giggles still bubbling out of him.

“You ever been?”

The older shook his head and the younger smiled.

“Well, we should go. What are you doing this weekend?”

*

It wasn't a particularly good idea, Junhoe knew. This was confirmed to him by the joint looks of alarm on Yunhyeong and Donghyuk's faces. But he honestly couldn't bring himself to care- not when Jinhwan's face lit up like the very lanterns that decorated the stands at the Bupyeong Kkangtong Markets. He resembled some sort of fairy creature; lights in red, orange, yellow and green dancing across his smooth skin as he flitted from stall to stall.

After they had gorged themselves on street food, the boys grabbed a few bottles of soju from a trusted vendor (i.e.: one that won't snitch on them for being underage) and made their way to the cliff at the very end of the markets, away from the crowds and overlooking the port. This was where most of the underage drinking in the area took place and it was fairly crowded. High school boys and girls would often meet here to let loose and fool around.

Yunhyeong and Donghyuk left to say hi to some friends, leaving Jinhwan and Junhoe alone. The younger boy wondered how they looked next to each other- Jinhwan thin and delicate and him, tall and... decidedly pudgy. Puberty was still doing its number on sixteen year-old Junhoe, and was apparently still quite fond of the baby fat that clung to his cheeks and tummy.

Junhoe was broken out of his thoughts by the older boy's hand, dragging him to go sit by the rocks. He obliged, shuffling along with an amused smile. Jinhwan had never made physical contact with him before. Junhoe laid out his wind-breaker on the slippery surface and the both of them settled down on it, side by side. Jinhwan’s arm brushed against Junhoe’s and the latter’s brain frazzled, spitting out the first coherent sentence that came to mind.

"It's not as nice as the after school spot, but-”

"It's perfect. Thank you."

Jinhwan took a small sip from his little green bottle, soju wetting his mouth. A bead of clear liquid hung on his lower lip, and the younger tore his eyes away just in time for the small smile that came his way.

They sat like that for a while, staring out into the dark abyss. They could just about make out the port, as well as the little dots of light that littered the horizon- cargo ships and fishing boats. Junhoe started to feel small again. Feel how insignificant he really was. A drop in the ocean.

"Thank you for bringing me here.”

_Maybe he was less insignificant than he thought._

“You’re welcome.”

Deciding that Jinhwan really should socialize with more people than just his gloomy self, Junhoe turned around to scan the area for his friends. Surely enough, Yunhyeong and Donghyuk were chatting up two pretty girls from the grade below. He sighed, turning to Jinhwan with a brow raised.

"You got a girlfriend back there?"

"Um...” The older looked slightly uncomfortable. “No."

That didn’t totally surprise Junhoe. Jinhwan’s behaviour didn’t exactly scream social. But he was easy to talk to, wasn’t he? The younger knew he wouldn’t have tried to make friends with him if he wasn’t. And he was… good-looking? Junhoe saw the question mark in his own mind and felt slightly silly for pretending that he couldn’t process that thought. _Yes_ , _Jinhwan is attractive. No need to be weird about it_.

But how did he know that?

_Well, he’s better looking than you, isn’t he?_

“…Do you?”

“Huh?” Junhoe asked eloquently, broken out of his internal monologue.

“Do you have a girlfriend?” Jinhwan repeated with a small chuckle.

“Oh. Um, no. Never have.” Junhoe exhaled deeply. “Probably never will.”

“Why do you say that?” The inflection in his tone suggested earnestness.

“Well,” Junhoe chuckled mirthlessly, trying his best not to feel ashamed. “I mean... _look_ at me. I’m… fat.”

Jinhwan was quiet for a minute, an unreadable expression having found its way to his face. Junhoe sighed. He had shared too much too soon, he knew. This obviously was not something that Jinhwan wanted to hear- they’d barely even talked before this, for fuck’s sake.

“If that’s all people see when they look at you, then who needs them?”

The younger expected some dieting tips or exercise routine from the slender Seoul native, but they had not come. Jinhwan sounded so completely sincere that it made Junhoe’s jaw drop slightly. The older, probably feeling bashful from having exceeded his normal sentence quota, turned away quickly to avoid the other’s gaze. 

“Plus… a little extra weight doesn’t make you ugly. I hope you know that.”

Junhoe _didn’t_ know that. The idols he watched on television were slim, toned and perfect. Every relative he’d ever met advised him that he’d never get a girl ‘ _looking like that'_. One particularly senile aunt even suggested liposuction when he got older. So to be told, perhaps for the first time in his life, that he wasn’t unattractive was somewhat crazy to him. _Insane_ , even. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes and he exhaled shakily.

“Junhoe?” Jinhwan asked, orbs filled with concern.

“I just-” the younger took a deep breath calm to himself down. “Thank you.”

The older boy smiled and reached out to hold his hand. Junhoe let him.


End file.
